Ship-centering device



R. N. BURBANK; SHIP CENTERING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV- 30, 1920- Patented Feb. 21, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I R. N. BURBANK.

Patented Feb. 21, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- snares stares earner i it SHIP-GEN TEBIN G DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented net. 21, was.

Application filed November 30, 1920. Serial No. 427,337.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RALPH N. BURBANK, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Somerset, in the county of Bristol and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ship-Centering Devices, which I designate as a centering clamp for marine railways, cation.

' The invention relates to means for placing a vessel in position with the keel directly over the centre of the line of keel blocks of a marine railway, dry dock or the like while the vessel is still water-borne. The object of this invention is to produce a mechanism having novel means whereby each pair of the vessel engaging elements, or jaws, are moved simultaneously, and uniformly so that they approach the sides of the vessel and engage the same. If the vessel is floatin to one sideof the line of the centre of t e keel blocks the jaws of each pair which are on that same side first engage that side of the vessel, and push the vessel toward the center, until it is met by the jaws on the other side, which are moving in toward the center simultaneously with, and at the same speed as the jaws on the opposite side." When the jaws on both sides are in contact with the sides of the vessel, the vessel is then centered over the keel blocks, and the vessel may then be grounded on the blocks, and the usual bilge of which the following is a specifiblocks or shores, which are part of the regular equipment of the marine railway, dry dock or the like may be positioned.

A still further object of this invention is to produce a vessel centering mechanism having means by which each, pair of jaws, or vessel engaging elements, may be moved in unison under the control of an operator stationed on one of the runways of the cradle of a marine railway, or a platform adjacent to it, or the side or end of a dry dock, above the water level.'

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists in the details of construction and in the arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.

Figure. 1 is an end elevation of a vessel centering apparatus constructed to accord with my invention, the vessel engaging members thereof being shown as engaging with the sides of a vessel, the cradle of the marine-way being in section. Fig. 2 is a plan View of a pair of the vessel centering members and operating means, showing same associated with the cradle of a marine way. Fig. 3 is an end elevation of one of the vessel engaging members showing the major portion thereof positioned beyond the gulde frame at the side of the cradle, the floor of the cradle being in section. Fig. 1 is a plan view of a portion of one of the yes sel centering means. Fig. 5 is an end elevation of a part of the vessel centering means, the rail being in section. Fig. (Sis a plan view showing driving means for actuating the vessel centering members, and Fig. 7 is a view of a modified form taken substantially on the line 5-5, Fig. 3.

In carrying out my invention 1 preferably mount the tracks, centering jaws, operating means, a sheave and cables or chains on the floor 10 of the cradle of a marine railway, or the floor of a dry dock, between the runs of the bilge blocks, so as not to interfere with the customary arrangement and working of the regular equipment of the railway or dock.

The floor 10 of the cradle has attached thereto I-beams 12, which when alined with the keel-blocks 11 extend for a distance sufficient to provide for sufhcient movement of the centering jaws, and when desired these I-beams may extend between the keel-blocks across the floor of the cradle between the keel-blocks so that the rails will not interfere with the placing of the bilge-blocks, and will permit the vessel engagiug'members to be positioned in line with the uprights that carry platforms and are located adjacent to the sides of the cradle, so that the centering means or jaws after centering a vessel may be positioned out of the way. The centering members or jaws extend upwardfor a distance to engage the sides of a vessel above the bilge thereof.

Each vessel engaging element or centering jaw consists of bars 13 and 1 1 having their inner ends provided with upstanding plates 15 and 16 respectively. and with shafts or spindles 17, 17, on which rollers 18 and 19 are mounted for rotation so that the said rollers project within the channels of the I-beams and, bear against the lower surfaces of the upper flanges of the said I-beams, or any similar device to withstand an upward pull while being moved.

The roller 21 acts only when thereis no pressure being exerted on the jaw in a direction outwardly from the line of the center'of the keel blocks, but is inactive when such pressure is exerted, as in the operation of pushing a vessel toward the centre of the keel blocks, and under these conditions the rollers 18 and 19 are'brought into action.

.A shaft 20 is supported by the plates 15 and 16, and a guiding roller 21. is rotatably mounted on it and its periphery engages and rides on the upper surface of the l-beam so that by, this arrangement the inner ends of the bars are supported in order that they may travel along the I-beam, which constitutesa track on which the clamping elements may travel.

A similar roller 34". is mounted on the outer end of the'bars 13 and 14,-, and rides on the upper surface of the It-beam, supporting the outer end of the vessel engaging element, or

i The hull engaging elements, or have a brace 35 on one side, as Fig. 7, fitted with a roller or which operates between the flanges of a channel iron, 37 ,engaging the underside of the upper flange for anupward pull, and the jaws, each shown by upper side of the lower flange for a downward push. The said brace is made apart of, and travels uniformly with eachhull engaging element, or i aw, for the purpose of keeping the said 1' aw in an upright position. The channel iron, 37, is secured to the floor of the cradle or dock.

The outer ends of the bars 13 and 1 4: have standards 22 and 23 anchored tothein, and these standards converge at their upper ends and are connected together to form a frame structure which is of considerable rigidity in order that it may engage the hull of a vessel and bear against it with 7 sufficient force to efi'ect the movement of the vessel.

The standards have a brace 24 attached to them and the said brace has its inner end connected to the bars 13 and 14 and the whole structure is thereby made sufficiently strong to accomplish the work intended.

The hull engaging members are duplicated on the two sides of the keel blocks and preferably are duplicated near each end of the cradle of a marine railway, or the ends of a dry dock, in such position relative to the length of the cradle or clock as will most advantageously engage the average vessel which the dock serves, but a description of oneof the hull-engaging'members will suf- -fice as a disclosure of the remainder, and

they neednot therefore be described in detail.

I The hull engaging membershave eyes 25 which const tute anchorages for a cable or chain 26 which cable or chain is run over a sheave 27 and a driving gearQS which is fast on the driven shaft '20. :The drum,

sprocket'orgear ,2,8 vis'mounted on a shaft wheel 36,

29 extending vertically'to a point well above water level and journaled in a platform 30,

a part of the regularstmcture of the cradle of a typical marine railway, on which an operator may stand to observe the results ofthe operation of the hulliengaging elements, and to be in position to control the increment of the hull engaging members.

In this embodiment of the invention 'the shaft 29 has a worm wheel 31 mounted on its upper end engaged by a worm 32 connected to a motor 33, but any suitable means may pedient forfwinding a ,cable'is well known.

it will, it is thought, be understood audneed not be shown in detail. ltiis deemed. suliicient to say thatany type of winch or winding machine may be employed to communicate motion to the cables or chains for inc-v1 ing the hull engaging elements toward and away from each other.

The flexible connections 26 have their ends attached to the vessel centering members and are guided by a sheave 27 and the driven gear 28 on the shaft 29, the flexible connections each being onthe'same sides of the centering jawsandcrossing each other in line with the keelblocks, and in accord with the direction ofrotation of'the shaftflthe hull engaging members will be simultaneously moved either toward or away from each other.

There is a platform such as 30 oneach side ofthecradle of a marine railway, and

these, of course, .may be increased to suit particular requirements. 7

The parts of the hull engaging member are duplicated on each side of the I beam, that is to say, there are two braces and two sets of standards 22 and 23 for. each'hull engaging member so that {a .frame-like'structure results which 'Wlll prove sufliciently strong and durable to withstand unusual pressuresuch as would be necessary to move comparatively large vessels.

.1 claim:

1. In a ship centering device, I.-beams that extend laterally from keel blocks maintained upon a cradle, a pair ofupstanding vessel engaging elements of such height 'that'they may engage with the sides ofa vessel above the bilge thereof Said vessel-engaging 'elements being movable upon the I-beams and comprising frames having base portions with wheels for engagement with the -I beams a flexible connection secured at its opposite ends to opposite vessel engaging frames, means for-guiding and means for moving :the sa-id flexible connections to effect movement .ofthevessel engaging frames simultaneously toward or away from each other.

2. In an apparatus for centering vessels upon the cradle of marine ways comprising I-beams secured to the floor of the cradle to extend laterally thereon, a pair of movable vessel engaging elements each having basebars, rollers associated with the end portions of the base-bars for engagement with flanges of the I-beams, standards carried by the base-bars for engagement with the sides of. a vessel, actuating means for the vessel engaging elements consisting of a sheave on one side of the cradle, a shaft having a driving gear thereon maintained on the opposite side of the cradle from the sheave, a flexible connection that engages the sheave and the driving gear, the ends thereof being attached to opposite vessel engaging elements, and means for actuating the shaft, whereby the vessel engaging elements will be moved simultaneously.

3. In an apparatus for moving a floating vessel to position the same with its keel in alinement with the keel blocks of a marine way or dry dock, comprising transverse guide rails, vessel engaging elements maintained in slidable engagement with the rails, upstanding thrust bars that form part of the vessel engaging elements which are of a length sulficient to extend above the bilge of the vessel, .a guide sheave positioned near one side of the structure, a drive gear on the opposite side of the structure, a single crossed flexible connection that is looped about the sheave and the drive gear and means for connecting the ends of said flexible connection to opposite vessel engaging elements.

t. An attachment for marine railway or dry dock having a cradle, keel blocks and transverse guide rails attached to the cradle, comprising a pair of vessel centering means maintained in slidable engagement with the rails and provided with upstanding thrust members of a length sufiicient to extend above the bilge of the vessel when afloat, a guide sheave attached to the floor of the cradle adjacent to one of its sides, a drive gear opposite the sheave, an upstanding shaft to which the drive gear is attached, a flexible connection that engages the sheave and the drive gear said connection being crossed and having its ends attached to the vessel centering means, whereby the vessel centering means may be moved in either direction simultaneously.

RALPH N. BURBANK. 

